dagblog - Comments for "U.S. dairy farmers dump milk as pandemic upends food markets"

I do like dairy but that is

EmmaZahn — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 17:15:20 +0000

In reply to Problem of just title taking

I do like dairy but that is not why I shared the article. It was how many flaws it flagged in our present means of production and distribution of essential goods and services: long supply chains, just-in-time inventories, narrow specializations, etc. It also elicited a sense of dread for the near future:

1) The suggestion to the farmer from his dairy association (guild) to think about culling his herd and the suggestion to dump rather than preserve what products they can. Do they not think markets will recover? How many of us do they expect will die?

2) The scarcity of truckers (retiring early?), unwilling to risk catching the virus or being hijacked. Hard to blame them when Walmart has already practically perfected driverless trucks and Amazon its drone deliveries. But practically perfected will not close the gap short-term. And this one does not just apply to dairy. I think both soy and almond milks are long hauls to New York.

I found the article very thought provoking but then I have spent a lot of time world-building the past few years.

Problem of just title taking

artappraiser — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 16:14:54 +0000

In reply to Not sure what happened.

Problem of just title taking happens to everyone every once in a while. Is just a glitch.

I don't drink a lot of milk, tho not lactose intolerant, just doesn't agree with me. Use alternates like soy and almond for cereal. In the past I bought into that it's not great for most humans, but now I have become more tolerant and knowledgeable about such things-i.e., every human body is different in what's good for it.

But because of my own predilections, I have just have developed the habit of buying small box milk for guests in their coffee. And I think a lot of people like me have switched over the years from thinking of milk as a staple!. Boomers grew up in a world where milk was a staple (me in the dairy state) and we guzzled it, where teen boys drank a gallon a day, and people had to buy some every couple days and dairy farmers keep thinking like that was going to go on forever...it's pretty rare these days to see gas stations stock it and have sales on it as they used to, I noticed. Those times are gone.

On the other hand--people love cheese and yogurt! Markets change.

Not sure what happened.

EmmaZahn — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 15:25:12 +0000

In reply to your link didn't take, you

Not sure what happened. Everything but the title disappeared. Comment as well as the link. It was there briefly. Maybe I excerpted too much. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yes, definitely a supply chain problem but also a problem of short-sightedness, overspecialization and over-centralization. While true that fresh milk has a limited shelf life even with refrigeration but it can be irradiated or powdered to extend its shelf life unrefrigerated. And butter can be stored unrefrigerated as ghee for several months.. Of course, both those require having the necessary equipment on hand or nearby.

I already missed the local dairy farm that was replaced by a few hundred houses just a decade ago. I think I am going to miss it even more this coming autumn/winter.

your link didn't take, you

artappraiser — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 14:57:40 +0000

In reply to U.S. dairy farmers dump milk as pandemic upends food markets

your link didn't take, you have to edit it in, sometimes happens. I found this, seems to be it:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-dairy-insight-idUSKBN21L1DW

interesting because it's a supply chain problem, not demand or price war